How to Start Again
by Mrs. 11th
Summary: Taking off from the Grey's Anatomy episode If/Then and it's extended scene with Mark, Addison, and Derek at the end; showing the years after Mark and the very pregnant Addison move back to New York, incorporating SVU's lovely Detective Olivia Benson. {AU}


_Inspired by the If/Then extended scene in Grey's. After I saw that I thought _what would everything be like after Mark and Addison moved back to New York_ and then I remembered that SVU was set in New York. Thus this was born. It's basically what happens in the years after. Crossover with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Basic knowledge of the show and its characters is helpful. You could see this as femslash or just a close friendship._

_A word, phrase or sentence in italics means that it was said._

* * *

Derek lets them leave without a fight. Addison _honestly_ was expecting this.

She moves into Mark's apartment. He's still the Mr. Big Plastic Surgeon that she remembers and she stays at home.

Addison mails the divorce papers as soon as possible. Derek has them back within the week, along with everything she forgot.

It most circumstances, it would be awkward for your ex-sister-in-law to be your gynecologist. But Nancy was Addison's friend before Addie even knew Derek, and Nancy called and threatened bad things if Addie went to any other gynecologist.

The baby is a girl, Ella Forbes Montgomery-Sloan. She has red hair and grey eyes, and Carolyn Shepherd was the third person to hold her. First was Mark, second Addison. Again, awkward under most circumstances. Carolyn loves and forgives everyone.

Addison becomes a stay-at-home mom for a few years. She videos Ella's first word, crawl, step, everything. She arranges playdates with the other children in their building and gets to know their parents. She teaches Ella what she'll need to know for school. She reluctantly lets the little girl's hand go on her first day of pre-school.

And then she goes back to work. With Addison's reputation, she's back in the hospital in a heartbeat.

One of Addison's first days back, she does a rape kit on an eleven-year-old. The sex crimes detective, Benson, asks her if she's okay, and Addie says yes, she just hasn't done this in a while. Benson pats Addison's shoulder and says she did good.

They meet again and again at the hospital. Addison looks forward to seeing the Detective, just not the poor women or children that come with her. After the sixth or so meeting, _call me Liv or Olivia not Detective_ Benson says they should meet for coffee and they do. They talk about Ella, mostly. Addison shows Olivia some pictures on her phone; Olivia beams and says she's beautiful. They talk a little about their jobs, but both would rather steer away from that topic. Olivia is called away, but they promise to try to get together again.

Addison's life becomes work, Ella, work, Ella. She suspects Mark of having an affair. She's surprised that he stayed faithful for this long, but Addie keeps quiet. She introduces Ella and Olivia and spends more time with them. Olivia, unsurprisingly, is fantastic with children. Ella calls her _Aunt Liv_. Liv gets custody of a teenager named Calvin when his grandparents die, and explains that she had custody of him for a while a few years ago. Ella is constantly pouncing all over him, like seven-year-olds do, and he'll flip her over and tickle her until she's laughing and shrieking.

Addison goes joins a private practice for more time with Ella.

The first birthday Mark misses is Ella's ninth. He has an emergency surgery, a burn victim. It's a Saturday in April, and Ella cries for five minutes and locks herself in the bathroom for fifteen... Until Aunt Liv arrives with presents, Calvin, and two muscley detectives to help with decorating. Addison thinks they're Detectives Tutuola and Amaro, and Olivia introduces them as Fin and Nick. Ella comes barreling out and jumps up and down in front of Olivia until she puts the presents and decorations down, then hugs her and refuses to let go for a full minute. Calvin gives her piggy-back rides around the apartment. She doesn't mention Mark again for the rest of the day. The man in question comes home late– after Fin and Nick and Calvin and Olivia and Addison have cleaned up and said their thanks and goodbyes– with flowers for Addie and an expensive outfit that Ella saw the other day. Ella's just gone to sleep, but Addie thanks his effort and says Ella's party was a great success.

Mark's affairs become just too obvious to ignore. Addison does not confront him, simply sits him down and says _I know you're sleeping with other women._ He admits it, and they discuss whether to stay together or to get a divorce. Mark moves out. Addison says it's his apartment, so he moves back in and she gets an apartment. In Olivia's building. It's farther away from her practice, but Ella likes living two floors away from her Aunt Liv and Calvin.

Olivia invites Addison to her captain's retirement party. Ella wears a cute, floral dress and pink flats, and when Fin tells her that she looks beautiful, she smiles and hugs him. Liv introduces Addie and Ella to her captain, Don Cragen, who says _So you're who's getting her to go home before midnight _and Olivia laughs. There's a blonde woman with a Southern accent, Amanda Rollins, whom Ella adores. She spends a few minutes trying to imitate Amanda's accent, and Amanda keeps a very serious look on her face and says that Ella did a fine job. A man named John Munch comes over and tells so many jokes to Ella that she's doubled over laughing. The room goes dead silent when a tall, muscular man with salt-and-pepper hair shows up. _Elliot, _Olivia whispers. _Hey Liv,_ he replies. Addison can see Olivia tense, but she relaxes and launches herself at Elliot. Fin and Nick take a step forward, like they think that she's going to punch him, but Liv hugs him and conversation resumes. She introduces him as Elliot Stabler, her old partner. Elliot shakes Addie's hand firmly and Ella's hand delicately. He compliments her shoes and her hair, which Liv spent an hour on, trying to make her tangled curls neater, and Ella beams. Ella goes off with Calvin and Nick's kids, Gil and Zara, and Addie, Olivia and Elliot sit at Cragen's kitchen table. Olivia asks how Elliot's kids are (he has five_, _Addison learns, Maureen, Kathleen, Lizzie, Richard and Eli, plus grandkids) and Elliot says they're fine. Maureen is almost forty, has married a geography teacher, and has kids of her own; Kathleen is about thirty-five and a psychiatrist, working with troubled kids; Lizzie is thirty and is taking time off from work, because her baby is nearly due, and told Elliot to tell Olivia that bad things would happen if Liv wasn't there for the delivery; Richard, Lizzie's twin, is in the army, despite his father's arguments against it; Eli is sixteen and wants to be a cop. Elliot mentions that he and his wife, Kathy, divorced about ten years ago, and his mom died a few months ago, which is what made him reach out to Olivia again. The party goes on until late, and only the SVU team, plus Elliot and Addison and the kids, are there by the end. They help clean up and head home. Olivia gives Elliot another long hug, ending with a hard punch to the arm, and says if he ever leaves her alone for that long again, she'll kill him. Ella's asleep and Calvin carries her out on his back.

Addison and Mark divorce. A wedding invitation comes, for the wedding of Derek Shepherd and Meredith Webber. She hasn't talked to Derek since the night she left. Callie calls every once in a while, they were sort of friends. She read about a clinical trial that Derek and Webber did, read about some big surgeries Mandy did, which surprised the hell out of Addie.

Addison sends back her RSVP and says she'll be bringing a plus one, plus their kids. She brings Olivia and Calvin. They sit in the back with Ella. Mark isn't there.

Webber dress is simple, but beautiful. She's changed, she has a darker look to her. Yang is her maid of honor, wearing a blood-red dress. Derek's sister Liz is a bridesmaid. Derek looks happier, younger, healthier; Hunt is his best man. Derek's smiling and Addie can't remember the last time she's seen him smile in person. There's a little ringbearer with Derek's hair and Webber's eyes, in a little tux with a loose, red tie. Their vows are _"To love each other even when we hate each other. No running– ever. Nobody walks out, no matter what happens. We'll take care of each other even when we're old and smelly and senile. This is forever."_ Addison sincerely hopes so. They deserve it.

Olivia takes Addison's hand in hers and kisses it lightly. They smile at each other. A silent promise is made.

_To love each other, even when we hate each other._

_This is forever._

* * *

_I started this about six months ago and I got totally stuck on the ending. I was going to write the reception and bring in Callie and Arizona and Bailey and other people, but I got stuck on where to end it, so I rewrote some bits and stopped where I did._

_I'd love a review, and also to know whether or not you 'ship Olivia and Addison? I do, most of the time, when I'm not 'shipping Alex with Olivia and Mark with Addison._

_-Lou_


End file.
